The LeBron James-David Blatt relationship is off to a rocky start -- but it's not earth-shattering news

The Cavs are doing the right thing in keeping David Blatt — even if James, aside from his “hell of a job” comment after the Cavs advanced to the Finals — has been reluctant to give him much credit.

Sources say the players believe he is not letting them be themselves, that they are questioning his offensive strategies, and that they think he is panicking because he fears losing his job.

The above is the third paragraph of a story Chris Broussard wrote for ESPN in late November 2010, when the Miami Heat were 9-8 in LeBron James’ first season in South Beach. The headline of the piece: “Sources: Erik Spoelstra frustrating Heat.” Sources. Thursday afternoon, as he was getting ready to turn over his SportsTime Ohio show to live coverage of a news conference featuring Cavs general manager David Griffin and head coach David Blatt, Bruce Drennan, in about as embarrassing a moment as a broadcaster can have, said the following: “We have received word from one of my great sources that have given us such valuable information over the years that David Blatt is about to resign as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.” A few minutes later, Griffin was lauding Blatt for the job he did in helping the Cavs come within two wins of a championship, and Blatt was doing everything in his power to compliment LeBron. What Drennan did was irresponsible, but, unfortunately, nothing new. When it comes to LeBron James, everyone — the local media, the national media, the cupcake shop, the personal trainer — has sources. Some are right. Most are not. But the Mark Stein story that ESPN posted a couple hours before Griffin said Blatt wasn’t going anywhere was different. Stein’s information on the LeBron-Blatt dynamic came from his eyes and ears — the best sources for any reporter. And what he said he saw was troubling, though not all that surprising. • “James essentially called timeouts and made substitutions,” Stein wrote. “He openly barked at Blatt after decisions he didn’t like. He huddled frequently with (top assistant Tyronn) Lue, often looking at anyone other than Blatt.” • Another nugget from Stein: “There was James, in one instance I witnessed from right behind the bench, shaking his head vociferously in protest after one play Blatt drew up in the third quarter of Game 5, amounting to the loudest nonverbal scolding you could imagine — which forced Blatt, in front of his whole team, to wipe the board clean and draw up something else.” • And this: “My ESPN.com colleague Brian Windhorst, who ranks as the most credentialed LeBronologist there is after shadowing James since his teens, went on SVP & Russillo on Wednesday and posited that No. 23 actually wouldn’t mind if the Euroleague import keeps coaching the Cavs because he ‘likes having Blatt to kick around.’ ” Reports of Blatt not having the respect of the game’s best player aren’t exactly earth-shattering. James has had a tumultuous history with his coaches. Because he’s so great, so stunningly smart on the court, he demands the same from those in charge. Sometimes it works — as it did with Spoelstra, after a very rocky start. Sometimes it doesn’t. (Oh, hey there, Mike Brown.) There are two key differences between the 2010-11 Heat — who, during a season in which many wondered whether the coach had the respect of the players, lost in six games in the NBA Finals (sound familiar?) — and the 2014-15 Cavs. The Heat, at the time, had James under contract for at least three more years. They also had Pat Riley — an NBA legend James respected, and someone who had Spoelstra’s back throughout — running the show. Dan Gilbert and Griffin have certainly had Blatt’s back. But, at least until the NBA salary cap balloons in future seasons, they also have James likely playing on a series of one-year contracts. That puts a ton of pressure on management to appease LeBron, and it puts the coach in an unenviable position. Blatt has praised James at every turn. Thursday, the coach even acknowledged the importance of LeBron feeling “empowered.” During the same news conference, Griffin said James “was being asked to carry far too heavy a burden offensively” during the NBA Finals. There’s a ton of good that comes with having LeBron James on your team — benefits that extend far off the court. We have now reached the negative part of the process — a summer filled with questions, speculation about whether Blatt and James can make it work, and the thought by some that Lue is waiting in the wings, ready to take over if things really go south next season. In the NBA, the superstar always holds more sway than the head coach. If that superstar is LeBron James, and if the coach is an NBA rookie (see Blatt, and 2010-11 Spoelstra, and 2005-06 Brown), the equation is even more stacked in favor of the player. The Cavs are doing the right thing in keeping Blatt — even if James, aside from his “hell of a job” comment after the Cavs advanced to the Finals, has been reluctant to give him much credit. The Heat ended up finding a happy medium, at least until they were crushed in the 2014 Finals by the Spurs. And just 10 days ago, the Cavs, despite a ton of injuries, had a 2-1 lead on a 67-win team in the league championship series. Would it help if James came out and supported his coach to the media in the coming days? Sure. But that’s probably not going to happen. It’s all part of the LeBron James experience. It’s almost always a terrific ride. And it’s almost always stressful. Especially for the coach.

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The Gladiators will 'pay tribute' to the Cavs' run to the NBA Finals with special wine and gold uniforms.

Three for the road

• Today, the Gladiators will “pay tribute” to the Cavs’ run to the NBA Finals before and during a 7 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Storm. The Cavs’ entertainment teams, the Cavalier Girls and the team’s mascots will all be part of Cavs Night at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Arena Football League team will also be sporting special wine and gold uniforms. It’s a heck of a look. • Lost in all the LeBron-Blatt drama was a phenomenal gesture made by the Cavs at Thursday’s news conference. The team donated more than $130,000 each to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Shoes and Clothes for Kids. The funds were raised from the sales of $5 tickets to the three NBA Finals watch parties that were held at The Q when the Cavs played at Golden State. The team also announced that the Cavaliers Youth Fund has made donations of more than $100,000 to local charities. • Speaking of awesome gestures, the Indians’ support of Mike Aviles, whose 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, is battling leukemia, has been terrific. Thursday, a bunch of players and Tribe employees posed for a picture — showing off their shaved/buzzed heads and bright orange “Team Adriana” shirts. Great stuff.

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